Monday, June 09, 2008

Okay so I graduated from Robert Service High School in 1988--and by the way, I ask you is there anything more distressing than meeting someone who was born after you graduated from high school? That year is a milestone in your life and coming across someone who wasn't even alive then is like seeing a big flashing sign that says, "You've Officially Arrived at Middle Ageville. Population: around forty-something."

So where was I? Oh yes, back in 1988. The year of big hair, shoulder pads and George Michael . . . anyway I'm facing my 20-year high school reunion this month and the thought has made me very uneasy.

When my 10-year reunion occurred we'd just moved back to Anchorage after collecting a lot of school debt and a few kids. The first night's events were at a bar (we don't drink) the second night's events were expensive ($130) and the third day's activities were scheduled on Sunday when we had other plans. I secretly felt rather relieved that I couldn't make it. I don't have a lot of good memories from high school, I've never kept up with friends from those years and seeing people that made me rather uncomfortable ten years earlier didn't seem like the formula for a winning weekend.

But here it is ten more years and through the beauty of the internet things have changed slightly. I googled "Robert Service High School Class of 1988," found the official class website, complete with my classmates biographies, and spent an hour limping down memory lane.

Out of the more than 538 people in my graduating class 9 have died, two-thirds are unaccounted for and the rest seem to be just . . . people. It's odd that where there used to be jocks and nerds, Gucci girls and stoners now there are insurance salesman, municipal employees, Mary Kay consultants and bankers--oh and a news anchor. Apparently Fields Moseley is an anchor on Channel 2 news in Salt Lake City though I suppose with a dramatic name like "Fields" he was pretty much forced into broadcasting. Or perhaps daytime drama--it was inescapable.

And then there's that kid I hit with a snowball.

Back in second grade I was playing around while waiting at the bus stop and I hit a boy in the eye with a snowball. I felt horrible, it was an accident and I hadn't intended to hit him let alone cut up his face up like that and I got in tons of trouble when a teacher found out. What with him being a year younger and rather small for his age a genius kid and all that. But despite the trauma of it all he pushed through and ended up skipping a grade somewhere along the way to join the graduating class of 1988.

Anyway, apparently the molecular biology-Nobel prize thing didn't pan out so he did the only thing left: he formed his own heavy metal band. Supagroup--"Fire for Hire." I kid you not. Long live the 80s! My assessment of the situation after viewing his My Space page is that despite the group's ABBA-evoking name ("soupa-pa troupa-pa beams are gonna blind me . . . ") the band is rather an Asian-American version of Spinal Tap with lots of guitar and anger-management issues that would do Bruce Lee (to whom Chris and his brother claim distant kinship) proud. My sister suggests it all goes back to the snow ball incident.

Yes folks, time and gravity seem to be the great equalizers, we're all older and saggier and suddenly these people don't scare me the way they did twenty years ago--they could in fact prove to be quite entertaining. Maybe I'll go to this reunion thing after all.

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comments:

It's a long way from Alaska to Australia! Hi!! And it would seem that 1988 held interesting things for all of us, my second daughter and fourth child was born that year. In Australia it was our 200th Anniversary as a nation - a very auspicious year indeed. All the best for that reunion. :)

oh yes, i've thought about this, the people born after the year i graduated high school thing. i knew i'd be old one day i guess, turns out i wasn't ready for it.

anyway, funny you graduated with fields mosely, he was a reporter when i worked in news (at another outlet) in slc. small world! good luck at the reunion. i skipped the 10 year. but you've inspired me to maybe go to the next one coming up after all.

I wasn't into high school then and I'm not much into it now. lolI think you had a magical snowball there. Can you come to NY and hit me square in the face? lolA little trivia..I had Martha Quinn in my class. We kinda shared the same boyfriend as he couldn't make up his mind. He went on to work on some very big films. Me? I'm just a schmuck ;)

My 20-year reunion was in 2000. I went because I was the class president (for unknown reasons - I was very unpopular in high school and hated all of it) and had to help organize it. One of the other girls insisted we have it, and she was willing to do most of the footwork since she was still in Nashville. At that time, only one had died (another died last year, on my birthday no less), and only 4 didn't show up. We stood around and ate and talked. Some people drank a bit, one a bit too much, and we all went home. We didn't do the 25th, we're all just too boring.

LOL, I wrote a very similar post last night about my 20th reunion, coming up in a couple of months. Yes, I graduated in 1988 too. And I agree - meeting people who've been born since then is extremely odd. And somewhat depressing. :)

I love memory lane walks and HAD to attend the 20 year reunion(2006). The curiosity was killing me. It was truly amazing to see everyone. Although a little sad to realize how little I really knew about them and to not have enough time to hear all about their lives now:)

That is SOOOOOO Funny!!!! Instead of being kids, we have them!!! What a trip! I graduated high school in '86 and I know the V-8 thump in the head when you meet someone that was born thereafter leaving you to feel like dust is settling on your head or in other places nondescript! Love reading you girl!

Every once in awhile, I'll ask the question, "What are your memories of high school?" on one of my online forums, and the responses are overwhelmingly that high school was rotten. So I wonder why so many people make such a big deal out of the social aspects of high school when so many people come out of it thinking it sucked, KWIM?

Anyway, I graduated in 1996 and while my memories are mixed, I'm much happier to be where I am in my life now. And they should teach you that you will never see 90% of the people you go to school with ever again, so their opinions matter very little.

My mom went to one of her reunions and she said the women looked fantastic and the men were all fat and bald.

I went to my 10th, it was kind of a game to see how many girls had had work done, which boys were going bald etc... There was a lot of drinking and carrying on so I opted NOT to go to my 20th last year. I kind of wish I would have. I think you should go! Get a killer dress and bring pictures of your kids. I'm sure you will have a ball.

Shh-- It's my 20th reunion too. But I don't think I will go. There were only 63 people in my graduating class (small school), and I wasn't really friends with any of them. My friends were a couple years older or a couple years younger.

I have to say I have similar feelings to yours about reuniting with my high school class although I do have a few friends I am still very close with.I attended my ten year reunion and wasn't surprised to see that some people still acted like they were in high school.I'm sure your twenty would be fun.

Ouch! That Supagroup myspace just about blinded me ... bright red backdrop as if trying to bring back the good ol' days of being 'in your face.' So I am laughing so hard at your 1988 post. I came from a high school, on Long Island, where all the cool kids wore jeans and shampooed regularly with Jordache Vidal Sassoon - the "if you don't look good, we don't look good" tag line was so important then ... I can impress enough now the importance of being 'a bit of a nerd' (as I was) to make you forge your own path into the REAL world ... It is, by far, the challenges and tough moments that shape a person into who they are today. Not the "I'm cool in high school" stuff.

Life's strange. There are those of us that have fond memories of our past friendships and probably like to think re-unions are great.But in truth, there are just TOO many people who, for whatever reason, try to deny their past. They live for today and tomorrow only. People you'd think would love to reminisce appear 'cold' and very 'matter-of-fact', often leaving you with negative thoughts.

I wish you well with your re-union, but often the 'memories' are best left that way. (At least in my own experience)

My graduating class has a similar website and you just inspired me to go check it out after ignoring it since the 10 year reunion.

And the thing about meeting people born after you graduated? Totally weird. I prefer to think that time (at least my age) just sort of stood still since then, but that jerks me into a reality. Crazy stuff.

Ahhh, the 20th reunion...that I will not be going to!I was supposed to graduate in 1988 but did not actually do so until 1989 (but that's a post in itself) so I allow myself to attend either or both reunions. At the 10th I did the 88 one. They did the cheap night in a bar, expensive semi-formal night that we could not affford & a sunday family picnic. We went to the bar thing & had a blast. I was hoping my 20th would be the same but they only have 1 event this time & it's too much money for us. I'm really bummed but what can you do? I'm hoping the 89 reunion has an affordable option & the 88 30th will be different.

I would dread my 20th - coming up very shortly. But I may luck out like I have in years past when the milestone (the 5th, 10th 15th) comes and goes and no one - and I mean no one - bothers planning a reunion at all. Who's in charge of that kind of thing? See, they shoulda elected me class president after all - and we'd have had all those reunions that no one wants to go to!